2012 Arthur Teters Memorial

Our 3rd Major event for the year is the Arthur Teters Memorial, and 16 players eventually entered, headed by Rob Loveband (top seed) and Patrick Cook (Club Champion). Rod Jacobs, a strong player, also made a welcome return to competition chess.
A seven round Swiss, the first round pairings went as expected, with the rating favourites winning on all boards.
Round 2 saw Kevin Perrin defeated once again by Rob Loveband, while Rod Jacobs showed that he is still a strong player by beating Jamie Brotheridge. Robert Bailey demonstrated good form in holding Patrick Cook to a draw, and Chris Segrave went down to ambitious junior James Watson.
In round 3, James Watson was unable to hold Rod Jacobs who raced to 3/3, while Robert Bailey displayed great power in defeating Rob Loveband with the Black pieces. Patrick Cook continued in his usual quiet way with an interesting draw against Jamie Brotheridge. Two of the Club’s promising juniors, Jonathon Yates and newcomer Coen Johnson, also scored excellent wins, while Anna Yates, just a beginner at the start of the year, scored an impressive win over Jesse Cameron.
Round 4 saw tournament leader Rod Jacobs take on 2nd placed Robert Bailey, the game finishing in a hard fought draw. Jamie Brotheridge and Rob Loveband also played a rather more placid draw, while James Watson squandered a good position in losing to Patrick Cook. In the “blood feud”, Anna Yates was beaten by her son Jonathon Yates. Coen Johnson, after a good win last round, was given a lesson in positional play by Kevin Perrin.
Round 5, and Club Champion Patrick Cook faced tournament leader Rod Jacobs. Black resigned after a mere 15 moves when he overlooked a nasty fork. Robert Bailey joined the Champion in the lead after brushing aside his student Jonathon Yates, and Rob Loveband kept his hopes alive with a good win against James Watson. Coen Johnson recovered from round 4 with a nice win over Anna Yates.
In round 6, Rob Loveband took on joint leader Patrick Cook and a very interesting, hard fought game resulted, Black eventually winning to keep the lead. Jamie Brotheridge faced in form Robert Bailey, but was unable to cope with the pressure, blundering away a drawn ending. Rod Jacobs kept in range of the leaders with a strong win over his old rival Kevin Perrin, while Jonathon Yates scored a tough draw against Chris Segrave.
Going in to the final round 7, Patrick Cook and Robert Bailey had the title in their grasp, while Rod Jacobs could snatch it away if they faltered. Club Champion Patrick Cook scored a convincing and ruthless win over Club Reserves Champion Jonathon Yates, Robert Bailey made short work of Kevin Perrin’s unusually unfocused play, and Rod Jacobs made it clear he’s back with a strong victory over top seed Rob Loveband. Anna Yates continued her good form with a win over experienced veteran John Abson.
So the title was shared between Patrick Cook, showing his championship credentials, and Robert Bailey, scoring his first Major Club title. They were the only unbeaten players in the event. Rod Jacobs was a half point behind in third, emphatically announcing his return to competition chess after several decades away. Anna Yates showed vast and rapid improvement in finishing equal 4th with James Watson, and Coen Johnson, with 3 points on debut showed real promise for the future.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

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For the past decade or so, the period between the annual Club Championships, for the Andy Miitel shield and John Baynham shield, has been filled with non-descript rapid play tournaments. At the suggestion of some club members, a new annual 7 round Swiss, games to be rated, was devised. All that remained was to give it a name. After a great deal of discussion, it was finally agreed to honour a past Ballarat player who has faded, almost to obscurity, in our collective memories.
Arthur Teters was part of the great wave of post-war immigration to Australia of Baltic chess players. He arrived in Australia in 1950 and won the Australian Open in Melbourne in 1953, before settling in Ballarat in 1954.
It can be established that he won the Ballarat Club championship in 1954 and 1957, and possibly several other years as well. He was elected President of the Club shortly after arriving here and played successfully for the Club in numerous inter-city matches. His other OTB achievements included winning the Country Victorian championship in the 1950’s, and then the Victorian State championship in 1965, no doubt after he had returned to live in Melbourne.
Upon his arrival in Ballarat, he had told the “Courier” that a highlight of his youth was holding the World Champion to a draw in a simultaneous exhibition in Riga. The Champion could only have been Mikhail Botvinnik, a notable achievement indeed.
He was also a strong and active CC player, winning the Victorian Correspondence Chess championship in the 1950’s and representing Australia in a CC Olympiad.
By a curious coincidence, the current President of the Club, Patrick Cook, played against Mr. Teters a number of times in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, without ever knowing of his connection to Ballarat chess. So, it is important that he not be forgotten and this new tournament is an appropriate salute to a past Ballarat champion.